Transportation

Visit Hiroshima Tourist Pass

The Visit Hiroshima Tourist Pass for foreign visitors offers you unlimited rides on designated transportation areas, including expressway buses on seven routes, all Hiroshima Electric Railway (Hiroden) streetcar lines, ferries to Miyajima, and airport limousine buses for three days or five days.There are four types of passes available: the "Small Area" pass, which covers Hiroshima City and the Miyajima area, the "Small Area with Airport Limousine Bus" pass, which covers Hiroshima City and the Miyajima and Kure areas, and the "Wide Area" and "Wide Area with Airport Limousine Bus" passes, which cover the entire prefecture. A unique guidebook full of discount coupons for tourist sites and restaurants is also provided.

JR

Japan Railway is the railway company group and runs all over Japan except Okinawa. In Hiroshima prefecture, there are some JR stations which are mainly useful for traveling. You can go to Hiroshima, Miyajimaguchi for Itsukushima shrine, Saijo, Onomichi, Fukuyama and so on. Japan rail pass is popular to foreign visitors and the pass holders can travel by all JR lines except some Shinkansen and express trains.

How to use

If you are not JR pass holder, please buy the ticket at the ticket vending machine or the ticket counters, before getting on the train.

Destinations/Fare

Miyajimaguchi for Miyajima Island and Itsukushima shine 410 yen/from Hiroshima station
Saijo 580 yen/from Hiroshima station
Kure 500 yen/from Hiroshima station
Onomichi 1,490 yen by local train, 2,460 yen Shinkansen and change to local train at Mihara/from Hiroshima station
Fukuyama 1,940 yen by local train, 4,420 yen by Shinkansen/from Hiroshima station

Hiroden (streetcar)

The streetcar "Hiroden" is useful and cheap transportation in Hiroshima-city. They have eight routes in Hiroshima-city and only Miyajima line route goes out of city. The history of Hiroden is old and it has ever been the means of transportations for Hiroshima citizens for a hundred year, and the first transportation which started to run just after bombed from Atomic Bomb was Hiroden. Even now two bombed streetcar carriages run in the city.

How to use

Please get on from the entrance door that is at the middle of the carriage, and get off at the exit that is the door by the driver or conductor. When leaving, please pay the fare by coins. There is the money changing machine in the carriage and the driver doesn't do that, so you need to change your money before getting off. When the conductor is in the carriage, you can ask them to change money.

Destinations/Fare

Genbaku Dome-mae for the A-bomb Domb
Chuden-mae for the Peace Memorial Park
Hiroshima port The fare is identical fee, 180 yen per one boarding on the routes in Hiroshima-city.
Miyajimaguchi for Miyajima Island and the Itsukushima Shrine 280 yen from inside of Hiroshima-city
The fare for Miyajima line is changing, depending on the distances.

Astramline

Astramline is the new electric transit system that runs from the center of Hiroshima-city to the suburb. It departs from Hondori, the center of downtown and terminates at the Koiki-koen-mae station via residential towns. The Big Arch stadium which is the home ground of Japan Professional Football League team "Sanfrecce" is near the terminal station, so this transportation is crowded when they have the match there. Moreover there are some nice sightseeing places like temples and a museum etc. around this route.

How to use

At first you have to buy the ticket at the ticket vending machine, and pass the ticket gate.

Bus

There are lots of bus routes in Hiroshima-city and suburb. Two bus companies which run in Hiroshima-city are able to be useful to visitors, and they are green bus "Hiroden bus" and red bus "Hiroshima bus". The other bus companies have the routes from the center of the city to the suburb district. Also some highway buses run from Hiroshima station and Hiroshima Bus Center that is on the third floor of SOGO department store to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and several cities.

How to use

Please get on the entrance that is at the middle of the vehicle, and get the numbered ticket which is automatically ejected from the box at the entrance. The number on the ticket shows the section of your boarding, so please check the number which is indicated on the electric fare board. The fare which comes out on the board just before your leaving is your fare, so pay it by coins at the pay box by the driver. The money changing machine is in front of the pay box and you need to change your money before paying. About the highway bus, you can buy the ticket at the ticket counters, or ask the drivers.

Taxi

You can find taxies easily around the sightseeing places and downtown. The taxi has the signboard, which has the name of taxi's company on, on the top of the body. There are taxi stands at stations, but most of taxies are cruising.

How to use

When you need taxi, please find the signboard is lighting up, which means vacant, and let them stop by raising your hands up. The door is automatically opened and you have to get on the car from the left side door. Please tell the driver the destination after sitting, and then pay the fare expressed on the taximeter when leaving.

Destinations/Fare

The fare of taxi depends on the size of car, time and distance, and it is displayed on the taximeter. The base fare for taxi in Hiroshima prefecture is different among the companies, but the base fare is between 580 yen to 640 yen roughly.

Ferry

There are several ports in Hiroshima prefecture, and ferries go to islands and Shikoku region. The sea trips in the Seto Inland Sea would show you another attraction of Hiroshima prefecture, with enjoying the picturesque sceneries and feeling sea breeze.

How to use

At the ticket counter of each port you can buy the ticket for ferries.